Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Outside the ‘binary box’: Transgender advocates discuss upcoming pride week, ongoing fight for equality

trans rally

Associated Press

Protesters rally in support of transgender youths on Feb. 23 in New York City at the Stonewall National Monument. The demonstrations were related to federal rules governing access to bathrooms and locker rooms of a person’s chosen gender identity.

Events recognizing Trans Pride Week

• “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson”: Gender Justice Nevada will screen this documentary about the trans activist. 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15, Inside Style, 1119 S. Main St.

• Trans Film Festival: Including films such as “Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric,” “Transamerica” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 17, Transcending the Gender Box, 1140 Almond Tree Lane, Suite 305

• Trans Day of Visibility: Featuring a Trans and Allies Visibility March 7 p.m. Nov. 17, starting in front of Trump Tower on the Strip

• Trans Day of Empowerment Community Festival: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 18, Transcending the Gender Box

• Transgender Day of Remembrance vigils: Hosted by Las Vegas TransPride: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 19, Transcending the Gender Box; hosted by the Center: 6-8 p.m. Nov. 20, 401 S. Maryland Parkway

• Trans Youth Night: 6-10 p.m. Nov. 20, GameWorks inside Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South

In the United States this year, 26 transgender individuals were murdered that we know of, joining more than 200 names worldwide.

Each year, local trans pastor Jamie Lee Sprague-Ballou collects the new names and adds them to an ever-growing wall, which she puts on display during Trans Pride Week. It starts Nov. 15, with vigils planned for Nov. 19 and 20 to recognize members of the trans community and the ongoing struggle for equality.

“We have to depend on ourselves,” Sprague-Ballou said. “We have to fight for ourselves.”

Through the nonprofit organization Las Vegas TransPride, Sprague-Ballou has been part of creating more resources and visibility for trans people living in the valley. She said the annual observance once was limited to the Transgender Day of Remembrance, started in the late ’90s by advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a memorial to Rita Hester, who was murdered. It grew into an international movement that, in Smith’s words, “seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence.”

As vital as that component is to Trans Pride Week in Las Vegas, Sprague-Ballou says: “We wanted to remember more than just the sadness.” She and many others envisioned a weeklong celebration, and since 2013, activities have included a trans film festival and a solidarity march.

“We are going to start our march this year in front of the Trump Tower as a sign of resistance,” Sprague-Ballou said.

She added that this year’s event would end with a Trans Youth Night at GameWorks. “We wanted to do this to say, ‘We see you.’ ”

BEYOND TRANS PRIDE

While Trans Pride Week grows each year, the community needs support on a consistent basis.

Gender Justice Nevada, the brainchild of therapist and transgender rights activist Jane Heenan, works to change policies and laws, and offers support groups and advocacy training. Heenan has long championed legislation that respects transgender, intersex and queer rights, and the nonprofit is focusing its attention on education — trying to institute trans-inclusive policies in the Clark County School District.

“It’s not just about protecting access to a bathroom,” Heenan said. “It’s about standing up for students so they can be who they are.”

Heenan said that with more funding, the organization would like to dig into employment rights and how it could better help protect transgender workers in Nevada.

“We’ve been wanting to hire a lawyer for forever,” Heenan said.

Transcending the Gender Box opened in 2016 as a drop-in facility where trans people could hang out.

“It has couches and a television,” Sprague-Ballou said. “We are working to get computers hooked up.”

It also is home to trans support groups and opens its doors to other trans-friendly organizations. But Sprague-Ballou says it gets a lot of trans homeless who need food, clothes or a safe place to escape the elements.

Catering to the broader LGBT community, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada offers a variety of services for transgender clients, including support groups and a free clothing closet known as Switch.

The Center has had programming for trans people for years, but transgender program manager Blue Montana says he is the first trans-identified person to run it.

“It makes a difference,” he said.

In addition to getting people involved with community and support groups, Montana has helped trans clients obtain birth certificates and secure housing and social services.

Both the Center and Gender Justice Nevada have helped clients go through the process of legally changing their names. Gender Justice Nevada partners with Nevada Legal Services to do so, while the Center obtained a grant to cover related services. Montana added that the court system provides a waiver for the fee, but the Center pays if it’s denied for any reason.

While the organizations operate separately (and have opposing views on how to get the work done), they share many similar ideas when it comes to making Nevada better for the trans community. Sprague-Ballou said progress was happening.

“We have to keep in mind we are better off than many other states,” she said.

In this year’s legislative session, Nevada passed Assembly Bill 99, which strengthened protections for LGBT foster youth, and Senate Bill 110, waiving the requirement to publish name changes in order to protect gender identity. But Heenan says better enforcement of laws already on the books is needed. Complaints can be filed with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, but Heenan insists “it’s not powerful enough.”

Montana echoed the thought, saying those who’ve filed complaints might wait up to two years for a result. He stressed that in addition to enforcement, businesses and employers must be made aware of the laws.

Maybe more pervasive in the transgender community is the issue of homelessness.

“I would say eight out of 10 of our (trans) clients are homeless,” Montana said. “I think the Center needs to work with the city to do something about trans housing.”

Salvation Army is the only local facility to offer an exclusive space for female transgender clients, though it doesn’t have a facility for trans males.

“Salvation Army has been a godsend for women,” Montana said. “Trans men just get thrown in with the men. There is no safety in showers or restrooms, so it’s a really dangerous situation for them. They would rather stay on the street than have to deal with that.”

He added that other shelters allow transgender people to stay, but again the lack of privacy is a big risk factor.

Montana would like to see a partnership with the city to develop housing specific for the trans community.

“All we really need is money and property,” he added.

Beyond that immediate need, Heenan says, advocates continue to address the way society sees gender.

“It’s wrong to put somebody in a binary box and tell them that’s all they’ll ever be,” Heenan said.